A Well Oiled Machine
by ZootyCutie
Summary: They thought they would be given love from their adopted father. Now, the Smithy Gang learn how their paths have been corrupted, and how they can try to save them.
1. Rainy Dazed

This is my first true Super Mario RPG story, and it focuses on some of my favorite characters: The Smithy Gang. I can't stand Smithy, but I see something special in his lieutenants. I see them as a family, with Smithy acting as a horrible father to them. I own Bali, and a few incidental characters, while the others belong to Square Enix and Nintendo.

* * *

><p>The rain poured down in the Factory dimension. It was considered a parallel to another world. One known as The Mushroom Kingdom. There, rain was seen as a beautiful sight in some areas, and a scary, yet amazing one in others. In this dimension, rain meant nothing but trouble.<p>

All the inhabitants of Factory were living machines. They required everything that someone born of flesh and blood needed: from food and shelter, to clothing and warmth. If a citizen found a spark with another, they would form a family unit, and create their own offspring. However, some offspring were unable to be taken care of due to different complications. Those that couldn't be taken care of were taken to the Oil Well Orphanage.

And that is where our story begins.

* * *

><p>The rain proved a dangerous threat that night. It was heavily thundering, and the lightning eagerly looked for anything that it could zap at, which was everything. Everyone was cooped inside their warm homes, huddling together as a family, to protect each other from the fear of the rain. That is, all but two.<p>

A female machine was running in the middle of the rain, clutching something with her. She had a spear-like design to her, and was very thin. A rubber raincoat protected her metal body insulated from the lightning, as she clutched her object she was holding tight to her. Finally, she found shelter under the awning of a building: the Oil Well Orphanage.

The machine lifted off the hood of her raincoat, letting her blue ponytail-like extension fall down, as she loosened her grip on the object, and looked at it. It was her child, an infant spear child. He looked similar to his mother, except his tiny extension was red. He gazed up at his mother with eager golden eyes, and reached a hand up from the rubber blanket wrapped around him.

This was too much for the woman. She tucked her child back into his blanket, and let him be secure in his basket that carried him. She then put a folded piece of paper in next to him in the basket: his blueprints. These were given to the parents to help their children. If a part was broken, or they started growing up, this gave the parents the directions on how to repair the broken part, and what oil the child required to function properly. It also contained the name of the child. In this case, the name was the most noticeable thing on the blueprints: Yaridovich.

The woman set the basket down, pulled her hood back on, knocked on the door, and quickly ran off to hide. She waited for a while until she took notice that Yaridovich was taken into the orphanage. She walked off, tears in her own golden eyes, as she looked back at the orphanage, whispering in a Russian accent.

"Take care of my Yaridovich…"

* * *

><p>It had only been a few months since Yaridovich was brought into the orphanage. Someone had taken notice of him, and wanted to adopt him. This machine was Smithy. He was the leader of this dimension, but he wasn't satisfied with ruling just his dimension. He had plans of much larger dimensions, and he needed an army to cause it to work perfectly. However, he didn't want an army that he would have to convert their morals. Instead, he decided to start fresh, with easily corruptible children.<p>

* * *

><p>"I find it amazing that you would want to adopt from us, your Highness!" The manager of the adoption center, a middle aged female harpoon machine, said.<p>

"Well, I find it fitting that I find an heir to the throne as soon as I can." Smithy lied. He had created a false head for him to wear. While his true head had sunken in eyes and gapped teeth, this one had long white hair and beard, plus perfect, if not slightly sharp teeth, making him look almost grandfatherly and trusting in appearance.

"Here is the child you wanted to adopt." The manager said, picking up Yaridovich. "I must warn you, though, from his time here, even though he's smart, he's been acting very demanding, with a very large ego. His name is Yaridovich."

"Don't worry." Smithy assured. "I'm sure I can…adjust his personality."

"If you're sure, your Highness." The manager said. "Come with me, and we'll file his adoption papers, and I'll give you his blueprints.

* * *

><p>This was the first of his many children he adopted over the years. He tried to find the ones that weren't little angels, but the ones that were flawed, to try and corrupt their personalities easier…<p>

* * *

><p>"This little sword is Exor. He's very strong for his age, but his intelligence is low for a baby his age."<p>

"I'll take him."

* * *

><p>"This young baby was sent to us by a samurai clan. He's growing up with a code of honor, but his social skills aren't very good. His name is Boomer."<p>

"I'll take him."

* * *

><p>"This baby butterfly knife came from a poor gypsy group. She is very loving, but she trusts others a little too much. Her name is Bali."<p>

"I'll take her."

* * *

><p>"These quintuplets were brought here at the same time. They trust each other very dearly, but we can't separate them at all. Their names are Axem Red, Axem Black, Axem Green, Axem Pink, and Axem Yellow."<p>

"I'll take them"

* * *

><p>"This little bow is named Bowyer. He has a very good aim, but there seems to be something a little off with him. He seems slightly insane, to tell you the truth."<p>

"I'll take him."

* * *

><p>"This baby isn't a true weapon, but he always keeps this knife pogo stick with him. He's very skilled at it, but he acts like a brat to the other children. His name is Mack."<p>

"I'll take him."

* * *

><p>These were all the children that Smithy adopted. He planned to use them for his own uses, leaving them none the wiser, and getting them to trust him. The only problem? You will need plenty of love to have someone truly trust you…<p> 


	2. The Announcement

"Let go of her, Red! Mom gave it to me!"

"Ha! How would you know, Pink! We never knew her!"

"Don't bring up mom like that, Red!"

"WILL YOU THREE STOP IT?"

The three stopped to look up at their oldest brother. Yaridovich had grown a little testy when he remembered his own mother. He never knew why he was left at the orphanage. He thought that there was no good reason for his mother to have just left him to a life of misery. He wouldn't admit it to anyone else, but he didn't ever see Smithy as a father. He still remembered the night that he was left at the orphanage, and had gained a fear of water due to the fear he felt alone in the rain.

"Red, you give Pink back her doll and shut up! Green, you just ignore them and go." Yaridovich scowled, slinking off, leaving his younger siblings mystified and slightly scared. He stormed down the hallway, muttering to himself, until the familiar sound of metal wings clanking together snapped him out of it.

"Yari, what's wrong?" Bali asked, flapping next to his side, curiosity written over her face.

"It's nothing, Bali. Just leave me alone." He said, slouching down. He had a bad habit of doing this, and it was starting to affect his posture.

"It didn't sound like nothing." Bali retorted, flying circles around him, her eyelids drooping in slight irritation. "You get so stressed lately! Why are you being so pessimistic? I overheard father saying that he'll tell us a special plan! That should lift your spirits!"

"Why do you see so much out of him?" Yaridovich asked, not even turning his head towards her. "There's something that's off about him, and you know it!"

"Not to interrupt, but there's something off with all of us." A voice said from behind, causing the two of them to stop and turn around. Behind them was Boomer, his helmet hiding his eyes, and his katana safely protected in its hilt. "You're smart; Yaridovich, but you realize it a little too much. You just think you're better than us because of it. And Bali, it's possible to be too cheerful. You're seeing too much good in people. Not everyone is good, you do realize that?"

With that, Boomer walked off, as his older brother and younger sister watched. Angrily, Yaridovich yelled towards him.

"Oh, yeah! Says the antisocial loner! How would you know what's really wrong? You just slunk off into a depression whenever YOU hear about your family! Code of honor, huh? Then why did they abandon you?"

This broke a small nerve with Boomer. When he was dropped off at the orphanage, it was revealed on the back of his blueprints that the code of honor was written on the back. He held a high honor towards his family, yet only felt it belonged to his blood relatives. So, he thought of Yaridovich as easy game to attack.

"You DARE to slander the name of my family?" Boomer yelled out, jumping out as Yaridovich, who was quickly landed on, and a brawl was soon started, fists flinging at each other, and throwing each other around. Bali flew above the brawl to avoid getting hit. However, the noise attracted their other siblings to watch in either fear or amusement.

"Fight, fight, fight!" Exor and Mack chanted at the same time, pumping their fists in the air.

"This is terrifying!" Axem Green said, trying to hide behind Axem Yellow. "They're going to kill each other!"

"Yeah! And then I'll be next in line to be heir to the throne!" Axem Red happily said, believing the lie that he had overheard.

"I'm getting father!" Bali called out in fear, flying off as fast as she could.

"You think you're so great, just because you're the oldest?" Boomer said, trying to grab onto Yaridovich's skinny neck. "You're just a tiny twig! You'd get snapped in two in the battlefield!"

"Oh, and you're better?" Yaridovich asked, socking Boomer in the stomach, making the samurai unleash a cough. "How are your asthma attacks going to help you in combat?"

"FRONT AND CENTER, MACHINES!"

As soon as they heard this command, all the machines, including Yaridovich and Boomer, stood up straight against the wall, each saluting out, as their father and leader, Smithy, patrolled the halls, with Bali following, as she joined the others against the wall.

"Very disappointing!" Smithy said, eying Yaridovich and Boomer, who were now scratched up, a few dents in their metal as well. "If you behave this way at home, how would you behave in the battlefield?"

"…Yes, sir." Yaridovich and Boomer said at the same time, their straight postures starting to falter.

"And Bali?" Smithy said, turning back at his eldest daughter.

"Yes, father?" Bali asked, an eager shine in her eyes.

"NOBODY LIKES A TATTLETALE!" He barked, as the once hopeful shine faltered, as her antenna drooped.

"I'm raising you to be a powerful army. NOT a bunch of immature brats!" Smithy said, and then turned to Axem Pink. "Axem Pink, heal these two, and then you all will meet me at the conference room. ON THE DOUBLE! Dismissed."

"Sir, yes, sir!" They all said, though Bali, Yaridovich, and Boomer's were slightly hesitated.

* * *

><p>"Like, that was a totally stupid thing for you two to do!"<p>

Boomer and Yaridovich were now in the Axems' room. They were bandaged up in places, and Axem Pink was currently mixing up two homemade medicines for them to take. Smithy forced Axem Pink to take up medical school, despite protests, and she was quickly growing up to be a skilled physician.

"Don't say anything about blaming each other, either." Axem Pink quickly said, as she each gave them small glasses filled with the medicine, as they each drank them, despite the slightly bitter taste they gave off. "Because it's actually both your faults."

She placed her medicinal items back up, and sat down between them on her bed, which they were currently resting on.

"Look. Our parents had reasons for giving us up for adoption." She said, gingerly patting them each on the backs, trying to avoid any wounds. "But fighting about it doesn't do a single thing. Sure, what Red said was totally stupid, but that doesn't mean you have to be stupid in return."

She hopped off her bed, and starting walking over towards the hallway, but not before she turned around to look at her brothers.

"Are you guys coming?" She asked. "You banged yourselves up back there. Who knows what father will do to you if you're late…"

* * *

><p>"I have gathered you today for a very important plan. It will take a few years' time to start out, but I know what we shall do."<p>

Smithy had finally gathered his children into the room to tell of his plan. However, they were oblivious to the dangers that would lurk ahead, yet Smithy didn't seem to care. He saw them simply as cannon fodder for this plan.

"There is another dimension aside from ours. It is called the Mushroom Kingdom. There are plenty of resources there. As you know, the Factory dimension is low on very crucial resources, like food and energy. However, the Mushroom Kingdom is full of what we need!"

This was all a lie that he wanted his children to believe. In reality, the reason he needed the Mushroom Kingdom to create his true motive: to take it over and create a bigger world of machines.

"However, the Mushroom Kingdom is very dangerous. There live vicious races of creatures that are willing to tear apart any outsider in their own turf war. That is why I am giving you new titles. You are no longer just my children. You are my new lieutenants. Despite the risks, I feel like you are strong enough to defeat them. Together, all of you will be able to save Factory for deteriorating. Will you do it? If not for me, for the sake of Factory?"

The other machines had to think it over. True, Factor was much depleted lately. The rain was rusting out a lot of the city, which caused it to be nearly unlivable. Also, food was low, and many of the poorer citizens had to live with next to nothing. They shared silent glances, some of hope, some of hesitation, before Yaridovich gave the final answer.

"We do it for the sake of Factory."

"Excellent. Meeting dismissed." Smithy said, as his children began to part. "Oh, Exor. Yaridovich. Could you stay here for a moment?"

The two eldest machines stopped, and turned (or hopped, in Exor's case) back towards their father.

"Yaridovich, I know you seem to have a bit of tension with me lately." Smithy said, putting a reassuring hand on his son's shoulder. "However, due to this mission's risk, I might not be able to make it out alive. That is why I'm giving you a promotion. Promotion to leader. Will you accept it?"

This changed Yaridovich's thoughts nearly immediately. He pretended to think about it, rubbing his smooth pointed face (he was thinking of growing a mustache for a while, but the promotion confirmed his thoughts).

"I shall accept your offer, father." Yaridovich said, as Smithy smiled, his pointed teeth sharply smiling.

"What about me?" Exor asked. "Why did you need me?"

"Why, Exor, you're the crucial part of this plan." Smithy said. "You are the blade that shall pierce the Heavens. You will break through an obstructive barrier, and you will also guard our own dimension as well."

"I will do my best." Exor beamed.

"Excellent." Smithy said, and then each gave them a goblet. Exor's goblet contained a black liquid that had orange and blue swirls in it. Yaridovich's goblet contained a thick orange liquid. Smithy's simply contained normal high grade oil. He rose up his goblet in a toast, as his sons did the same. "To Factory's safety!"

"To Factory's safety." Exor and Yaridovich repeated, and the three drank from the goblets, with Yaridovich and Exor slightly wincing from the weird taste as the drinks were finished.

"You two are dismissed." Smithy said, as the two left. When they did, he laughed to himself. Their drinks were actually potions that were of his making. Exor's would massively change his size, making him much bigger, and would also make him a living portal to connect Factory with the Mushroom Kingdom. Yaridovich's contained a very malleable metal that would allow him to shape shift and multiply himself, with the unfortunate effect of being much heavier, meaning swimming would be near impossible.

Smithy didn't care. This was all part of his plan. He smiled to himself, as he looked at his most pried possession. To the average eye, it looked like a normal hunting trophy. However, it was a creation known as Smelter, and it would change the lives of his children forever…


	3. The Truth Revealed

This was it. It was years in the making, but all those years finally were coming together. He had a trusting army that was none the wiser. He had the power. He had the brains. He knew this would go according to plan.

"Deploy, Exor!" Smithy barked from his own dimension.

"Yes, father." Exor boomed from the opposite side. Due to the sudden growth, his voice gained an echo that traveled miles. He hurdled through space, and found his target: the Star Road. This was the barrier he was told to break. With a deep stab, the Star Road was completely shattered into seven pieces, and he landed sharply into a castle. He could hear the screams of others being flung out, and he knew it was completed.

* * *

><p>"Smithy Gang, fall out!" Smithy commanded, as his children headed out of the void, heading off to their different places around the kingdom. Smithy stayed behind, "for the defense" as he put it. In secret, he was clutching onto one of the pieces of the Star Road. With the road broken, wishes would never come true, and he would be able to have his way, with no one to interfere.<p>

* * *

><p>"Hello? Is anyone here?"<p>

Mack had found his star piece already, but he was confused on what to do next. He was actually afraid. He always depended on his family for most of his problems, due to being the baby of the family. In fact, he had just turned ten not too long ago. While he wanted to prove he was a big boy, he had no idea how to by himself, with no one else to teach him.

"Is anyone here?" He called out again, hopping around on his pogo knife.

"I'm here…" Someone from the shadows called out, shocking Mack.

"W-who's there?" He asked, trembling a little. He believed the lie of the dangers of these creatures the most, and was convinced that they were the most vicious and evil looking things ever.

"I am." The voice said, coming out of the shadows. It was a little boy, a bit younger than Mack. His entire body was covered with a red robe, with brown shoes, a brown belt, and a white mask with only two eyeholes and a mouth hole. However, the mouth hole moved when he spoke, and his eyeholes seemed to blink and show emotions.

"Who are you?" Mack nervously asked, clutching the handles of his pogo knife tighter. "In fact, WHAT are you?"

"My name's Shyster! I'm a Shy Guy. I've never seen you around here. I like your pogo stick."

"First off, it's a pogo KNIFE. Second off, why aren't you attacking me?"

"Why would I do that?" Shyster asked, slightly giggling.

"Because you're one of the evil monsters!"

"Evil…monsters…?" Shyster asked, this time confused. "Who told you that?"

"My father. He says that everyone in this world is evil, and will attack any stranger that comes into their land!"

"That's silly!" Shyster said. "I don't want to attack you! I want to be friends!"

"…Friends?" Mack asked, a little confused.

"Do you have any friends?" Shyster asked, his mask showing a look of sorrow.

"…No…" Mack sadly admitted, looking down to try to hide his sad face.

"Well, I'll be your friend." Shyster offered.

"Okay." Mack said, his face now happier. "Hey, Shyster? You know how to use a pogo knife?"

* * *

><p>"Nya, boring this is getting."<p>

Bowyer was lost. He had found a forest, and started to look in it, but it had so many twists and turns, that he got confused. Right now, he was in the middle of the forest, but he couldn't find the star he was supposed to be looking for. He sent out one of his Flunkies, one of many arrows with a slight amount of sentience that Smithy gave for what he claimed was his birthday gift. In reality, it was his weapon: they would be used to attack and paralyze anyone that got in his way. So far, he shot at a few citizens, ones that Smithy had described that they kept "poisonous spores in their innocent looking caps".

In reality, he had tried to ask the citizens about the star, but they just shunned the teenage bow. He asked as nicely as he could, but they seemed to ignore him, or give him misleading directions. He could even hear others laugh about the way he spoke behind his back! He just wanted help…

He haphazardly shot his Flunkies out, hoping to land a hit. He was broken out of his trance by a sound that lifted his spirits: rustling of bushes that showed the treasure one of his Flunkies had: a star.

* * *

><p>"Why did it have to fall in there? Why there, of all places?"<p>

Yaridovich's luck just went down the gutter. He had been set up at a seaside town, and just to his luck, the star fell in the middle of the sea. He knew he couldn't swim anymore, and his fear of water didn't help at all. He kindly asked one of the citizens if they would help.

"Excuse me?" He asked, tapping one of the mushroom-capped citizens on the shoulder. "Could you do me a favor?"

"…You look like a stranger." The citizen said, turning only her head back at him. "Strangers don't stay long here…"

Without getting an answer, the citizen walked off. In humiliation, he slunk out of town, but then came up with an idea. Using his shape shifting powers, he was able to disguise himself as one of the citizens. True, his fake body looked very ashen and sickly, but he hoped that could benefit him. He went over to a different citizen, and tried his tactic again.

"Excuse me-" He started, tapping the other citizen, but was stopped midsentence with an angry glare.

"What do you want, you slickly freak?" The citizen crossly asked, as the citizens that were near him turned around as well. This was a gang!

"Um, I was wondering if you could-" He started, but the gang leader grabbed his new vest's collar, and pulled him close to his face.

"Look, you weakling. Just beat it! I take requests from NO ONE! And that especially goes for ones that couldn't even hold their own weight against me! Now beat it!"

The leader then simply pushed Yaridovich to the ground, as he walked away with his other gang members, all of the cackling. Yaridovich sighed to himself. If he couldn't get a citizen to help him, maybe he'd just need the help of another stranger…

* * *

><p>"Hey, Red? Do you know where we're supposed to find this star?"<p>

"No clue, Green. I'm just going with the wind."

"Do you even really know how to DRIVE Blade, Red?"

"…Sure, Black! Yeah! No problem! Right, Yellow?"

"Huh? Sorry, I didn't hear you. I was thinking about burritos."

"…Right, Pink? Pink?"

The Axem Rangers had gotten permission to use Smithy's battleship, Blade. It was currently flying over the water, but they were completely confused on what to do. They had two jobs: find the star, and pick up Yaridovich from his own spot. At the moment, job one wasn't completed.

"PINK!" Axem Red finally yelled, exasperated.

"WHAT?" Axem Pink yelled back, lifting her head up from what she was currently doing. To her brothers' shock, she wasn't doing what she normally did that made her ignore them. That was putting on her makeup. Instead, she was looking off of Blade's edge, just staring at the water.

"What are you even doing?" Axem Red asked.

"Just looking at these weird creatures." She said, returning her gaze to the sea. The blue water was clear enough to see different sea life. Cheep-cheeps jumped out of the water every so often, and Blooper Nannies swam with their Baby Bloopers in tow.

"Those ARE weird." Axem Black said, as he walked over towards the deck's side, and looking down. "But they're sort of cool."

"We don't have anything organic in Factory." Axem Green added, as he joined the two, while Axem Yellow, and even Axem Red, who ignored his post, walked over to watch them. "It's almost mystifying to see these creatures. I don't see what father meant by their dangers. They don't seem to want to attack us…"

* * *

><p>"…And here I am, stuck in the middle of this town, with no lead at this so called 'star piece'"<p>

Bali was assigned at a neighboring kingdom known as the Beanbean Kingdom. Smithy never told her the dangers of the Beanish citizens, so she had no idea of their "dangers". So far, any citizen she asked had been at least a little helpful, by simply being honest on the fact that they didn't know of any star piece.

"I guess I just need to retrace my steps and try-"

"MOMMY! WHERE ARE YOU?"

Her train of thought was interrupted by the cries of a young Beanish girl. Out of pity and alarm, she quickly rushed over to the little girl.

"Excuse me; do you need some help, little girl?"

"Can you help me find my mommy?" The little Beanish girl asked, wiping her eyes free of tears.

"Well, what does your mommy look like?" Bali asked, trying not to choke up on saying "mommy".

"Well, she wears glasses, and she has curly brown hair." The young Beanish girl said.

"Could you please tell me your name?" Bali asked, dropping down from her flight. "It would make finding your mom easier for me."

"My name's Pennie." The little girl said, clutching onto Bali's outstretched hand. "What is your name?"

"I'm Bali. Don't worry, Pennie. I'll help you find your mom."

"Okay, Miss Bali." Pennie said, as the two of them walked towards the kingdom's town square.

* * *

><p>"HELLO?" Bali called from the middle of the town square, still clutching onto Pennie's hand. "IS ANYONE MISSING A CHILD? HER NAME'S PENNIE!"<p>

"I know her mother!" A female Beanish called out. "She runs the town bookstore!"

"Thank you so much!" Bali said in return, a very grateful smile on her face, and then turned to Pennie. "Pennie, let's go see your mom."

* * *

><p>"MOMMY!" Pennie happily said, as she ran into the arms of her mother. "Miss Bali helped me find you!"<p>

"Oh, I am so glad you are all right!" Pennie's mom said, clutching onto her daughter. "Thank you so much Bali!"

At this point, Pennie's mom hadn't looked up to see Bali, but when she did, her eyes went wide in awe.

"Oh, my…" She said, her voice becoming a little breathy. "A machine…"

"…Is there a problem, ma'am?" Bali asked, a little nervous.

"No, don't worry Bali." She told the panicked butterfly knife, who breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm just so amazed to see a machine in real life. I've read so much about your dimension. You have to tell me everything!"

"Well…" Bali started, flying up a little closer. "I was wondering if you could tell ME everything. Because I'm not so sure about my own dimension now…"

* * *

><p>"So, you're a daughter of Smithy?"<p>

Bali was now sitting down on one of the chairs in the bookstore, her wings tucked in so she wouldn't puncture the fabric. She was also given a cup of coffee, which she had never tried before in her life. In fact, it was the first organic food she ever tried!

"Well, I'm adopted. All of my brothers and my only sister are adopted as well. We're all different weapons, and we all were dropped off at the orphanage for different reasons. But I just don't get why."

"I think this will help you, dearie." Pennie's mom, who insisted going by Mrs. Castor, said, as she placed down a very large book. The title said "The Dimension besides Ours: A Look into the Factory Dimension".

Inside told Bali everything she needed to know…

* * *

><p><em>The Factory dimension has many parallels to the Mushroom Kingdom. Like our many species, the Factory dimension has many mechanical life forms that are designed to look and function like different weapons. The Factory dimension is completely metallic, with the only organic life coming from accidental rips in the fabric of dimensions via the Star Road. However, these rips are small, and only tiny creatures can normally fit, such as insects and small mammals and reptiles. Despite this, water is abundant, and life threatening thunderstorms are a risk in both electrocutions and rusting.<em>

_One of the most seen species is Axe creatures. They have an almost octopus-like face on top of a short body. A fair amount of children are normally born at the same time. Names are normally created by placing the family domain first, with an extra name based on the child's metal coloring. They are very skilled with their axes, and will commonly team up with their siblings. Unfortunately, they refuse to separate from each other a good amount of times, which can leave reproduction rates low, so for safety, many Axes are sent to orphanages, to separate them from their siblings by artificial adoption. The success rate for this is high, though there are a few failures in this process._

_Balisongs, also known as butterfly knifes, are similar to the butterflies in our own dimension. They travel together in large groups to different areas to live, and pack up when the seasons start to change. Many of them never have a true home, as they will always find a different place to live depending on the conditions. Many balisongs are very poor, and make a living in traveling entertainment. Due to this, they sometimes give up sicker or weaker children up for adoption so they can live a better life._

_Spear creatures are a very scarce species nowadays. Corrosion outbreaks years ago depleted much of their population. Many spear creatures are a common silver color, with the only color found in their brightly colored ponytail- like fringe and their eyes, which are normally a slightly metallic shade. They have the ability to remove their heads to use as weapons when needed. Those that were able to survive the outbreaks were normally due to being adopted by a different species, and kept away from contagious members of their species._

_Bows are considered the most agile creatures in Factory. The thin wires that attach their heads to their tail-like extensions let them shoot different objects out towards their enemies. Despite their speed, they are very susceptible to being injured, especially in their head, which can easily cause brain damage, which can mess with both their sanity, and sometimes speech. While some parents choose to attempt to reteach their children the correct ideas, others find this controversial, and let them live their lives the way their newfound way, while some, who chose a different route, send their child off to an orphanage, in hope that someone else will tolerate them._

_Swords are the largest and strongest species in all of Factory. Despite their lack of legs, they are able to maneuver themselves by simply hopping around on their blades. Even though they are strong, swords are very easily motivated, and, if left with a different family, will imprint on the parents, and give all their trust to them, which can lead them into very dangerous situations. Help should be consulted if a sword is seen treating the ornament of their hilt as a living person, and will start to talk to them._

_Knife Demons, named after their commonly red colorization and horn-like growths, are one of the smaller species found in Factory. While not a true weapon of their own, they commonly carry a knife on person. While the adult normally favor using a standard knife, children sometimes use a pogo stick-like knife, which can also function as a mean of transportation. Children should be placed in social situations early. Failing to do so can lead to a cranky and rude disposition in later life._

_Katana creatures are a very rare sight to see in Factory. An entire extended family will live together, and all depend on each other. However, their extended family doesn't extend to just their blood relatives. Any close friends, neighbors, or adopted relatives are considered family in their eyes. Katana creatures have a code of honor that the entire species shares: "My allies are my family. I shall protect my family." Katana creatures are considered to be the first ones into battle, and the last ones out. Being outside of their family can lead to an antisocial personality._

* * *

><p>Bali couldn't believe what she read. All of these things she had been told, and all the things her siblings believed. They were all lies. Lies by someone that couldn't even be considered a true father. She had to warn her family about this, before they all made a huge mistake.<p> 


	4. Atonement

"Hey. Hey, Boomer. Hey. Hey, Boomer. Hey. Hey, Boom-"

"WHAT?"

"…Hi."

"For the thirty-seventh time, HI!"

Exor and Boomer had been at their post for hours, and it was getting irritating. Boomer ignored the Chandeli-hos that hung onto the chandeliers in the castle, and when Exor wasn't talking to Boomer, he was talking to Neosquid, the skull on his hit. There was no star in their area, so Boomer had no idea on what he was supposed to defend. He was about to offline from boredom, until the timely arrival of Bali snapped him out of it.

"Boomer!" Bali said, panting for breath due to flying that far to get here. "I…have…to tell…you something!"

"What?" Boomer asked, rolling his eyes behind his helmet. Was he the only serious one around here?

"You know your code of honor?" Bali asked, sitting down on the chandelier that Boomer stood on.

"Yeah…?" Boomer asked, taking notice when she mentioned this.

"Recite it."

"Seriously…?" This was it? This was so important to her?

"Do it." Bali bluntly said.

"Fine." Boomer huffily said. "'I shall protect my family.' Are you happy? I don't see why you'd care so much about-"

"I knew it!" Bali said, springing up. "You don't know the first part!"

"What are you talking about…?" Boomer asked, completely confused.

"My station was at the BeanBean Kingdom, which by the way is NOT full of evil creatures like father implied." Bali explained. "Anyways, I met a woman who owned a book all about Factory. It told us more than we ever learned. I read about your species. You're a Katana creature. They travel with their extended family."

"Right." Boomer said, irritated. "And YOU'RE not-"

"I am!" Bali interrupted. "We all are. You're extended family extends to more than our oil line. Your friends, your neighbors…your adopted family…we're all your family! Your full code of honor is actually 'My allies are my family. I shall protect my family'."

It suddenly dawned on Boomer. He remembered his blueprints. They were always slightly creased when he noticed Smithy take them out for operations. One time, he remembered seeing a slight amount of extra wording above the first half of his code of honor. He would question Smithy about this, but he would always claim he was just imagining things. He was being lied to…he wasn't an ally...

"…I will protect my family." Boomer finally said. "I'm not doing this for father's sake. It's for my real family. You guys. And for Factory. I will defend at all costs."

"I'm glad you see this through." Bali said, then grabbed onto something. "I have this for you."

She gave him a thermos. It was filled with what would be Boomer's first taste of organic food: hot green tea.

"Drink this if your asthma attacks start up."

"I will. I might not like it as much as oil, but I'll do it for you."

* * *

><p>"Thanks. I have to go now. The others will really need my help."<p>

"Cold…so cold…Pink, heal us…"

"I-I can't, Red…I can't even heal myself…"

"Guys! You gotta stay with me!"

The Axem Rangers slowly looked up with all the power they could muster. Right above them was Bali. They were lying on Blade's deck, which had crashed into a cliff. Thankfully, the battleship was still useable.

"Bali…you came for us…" Axem Green coughed, as warm medicine flowed through his mouth.

"I had to." Bali said, as she started feeding the medicine to the others. "You're my family."

"We…failed…" Axem Black admitted, as he let the medicine start to take effect. "We let the villains get the star…"

"No, you guys didn't." Bali reassured, as she started wrapping their wounds. "In fact, we were actually the villains. We've been guided on the wrong path…by our own father…but I don't think I can call him that anymore…

"What do you mean, Bali?" Axem Green asked, as he attempted to stand up.

* * *

><p>"…I'll explain while we find the others…"<p>

"I WANNA GO HOME! I WANT MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS! I'M SCARED!"

Mack's wails were heard throughout the kingdom. Shyster had left him due to fear. He went home to his mom when he was feeling too hurt to fight. Unfortunately, the citizens were too afraid to get near him. While they did pity him, they were still shell shocked from his attack. Mack didn't feel like a big boy anymore. He knew he was still the baby of the family. He still wanted to be the baby. But he didn't want to turn to his father. He saw the truth through Shyster. These citizens weren't the bad guys. He was…

"MACK!"

He slowly lifted his head when he heard his name called. When he saw his siblings eagerly awaiting him on Blade, his tears of fear and sadness turned into tears of joy. Instead of using his pogo knife to hop over to them, he ran. He ran straight into the arms of Bali, who hugged onto him. Normally, in his bratty behavior, he wouldn't hug back. But this time he did. He hugged as hard as he could.

* * *

><p>"Worthless…I am…stuck here alone…that's what I will be"<p>

Bowyer used up all his Flunkies. He didn't care. He was lost in the woods. He didn't care. He was all alone. He…did care. He understood that he made some bad choices that day. He wanted to say he was sorry. Not to the citizens, but to himself. He was a villain. He wanted to atone. But how could he apologize when he didn't even trust himself?

"Forgive myself, I can't." He said to what he thought was himself.

"But you can, Bowyer."

He suddenly felt a metallic hand on his wooden shoulder, as he slowly turned around, to see the hopeful eyes of some of his siblings.

"Father…you can't apologize for his actions." Bali explained, as Bowyer slowly followed her to Blade. "But you do have the power to apologize for yours."

* * *

><p>"That citizen was right…I am a sickly freak…not in my health…but in my state of mind…I deserve to rust…"<p>

Yaridovich was on the edge of the sea in the town. His façade had fallen. Not just his physical one, but his mental one. His faith was covered up by the promotion. He was horrible to believe Smithy.

"I guess this is the end of me…"

"It's not!" A voice called out from behind him.

"It's just the beginning!" Another added. Looking behind him, he saw nearly all his little siblings, staring with hopeful gazes.

"Yaridovich…" Bali started. "Our paths have been corrupted. But we can change them. We all can."

* * *

><p>"Bali was right about me…I may not have been able to stop those guys…but now I see my true self…"<p>

Boomer had lost a battle against the five heroes. To protect his honor, he severed the cord of his chandelier, and let himself plummet. While his metal body deflected the blow, his asthma attacks started to act up. Thankfully, the gift that Bali gave him gave him enough strength to carry on until his siblings came for his health.

"You did it, Boomer!" Bali said, as she flew in, and with the help of his other siblings, was supported enough to easily walk to Blade. "You protected us…you lost against those five, but you helped save us…

* * *

><p>"Exor! Let us through!"<p>

Bali was controlling Blade, and was now floating in front of Exor, who had been damaged from the fight.

"I don't have much power left…" Exor said. "And I'll be stuck here…"

"No you won't!" Bali called out. "I will get you home!"

Being able to trust his sister, he let Blade through, as they returned to Factory, with no clue of the big shock that would come in store for them…

* * *

><p>"Our home! What happened to it? It's ruined!"<p>

"Hey, there are some corpses over here!"

"They…look like us!"

"They're fakes…no, they're replacement clones…for Smithy's truth."

None of them could believe this: unpainted corpses were littered around a broken area of their home. They all looked like some of the members of the Smithy Gang. They weren't true machines: they were Machine Mades. They were empty clones. It dawned on them. Smithy was never a father to them. And they were never children to them. They were simply his tools.

"I…I have to go…" Bali said, choking up a little, and flying off to a less damaged room.

* * *

><p>"Please work for me…"<p>

Bali was working on a potion from Smithy's old book. It was able to reverse portal and growth spells. She mixed up the normal potion, and then added a scrap of metal. It was a scrap off of one of Exor's teeth, which was constantly being ground down in his sleep. Slowly, the potion turned from a liquid to a black, blue, and orange powder. She scattered the potion into the wind, where it swirled in a spiral…

* * *

><p>…And traveled through the newly repaired Star Road, mixing with a little stardust, and coated Exor, bringing him back to Factory in his true size: still large, but much smaller than he was.<p>

"You're back!" Bali said, trying to muster a smile.

"What happened here?" Exor asked, his voice no longer booming and echoing.

"It's best to start with the beginning. And we'll need the others to help, too…"

* * *

><p>"…So everything we've known is a lie…" Exor said, realizing the truth.<p>

"…We can never consider Smithy a father…" Boomer added.

"…We've become villains…I want to change…" Yaridovich said.

"Me too!" Mack said.

"So do us!" The Axem Rangers at the same time.

"Change, I do want!" Bowyer added.

"We all do." Bali said, as she grabbed onto bags and suitcases, and gave them to the other members.

"What's all this?" Axem Green asked, as he clutched onto his familiar green duffel bag. He opened it…all of his most important stuff was packed into it! The same went for the others, who were confused.

"Bali…what's going on?" Yaridovich asked, as she clutched her own items, and also what looked like a squirt gun.

"We all want to change." Bali said, as she squirted the gun, which was filled with the portal potion, causing a large and swirling portal to appear. "It's too hard to change here. We need to start somewhere new. Let's go."

Without saying anything else, Bali went into the portal, as the others followed…

* * *

><p>"What are we doing back here?" Axem Red asked, as he looked around his surroundings. They were back in the Mushroom Kingdom.<p>

"We're going to start life brand new." Bali exclaimed. "Guys, welcome home."


	5. A New Life

This was it. This was the place they would live. Before going off to save her family, Bali talked to Mrs. Castor about her problem. She knew that she saw goodness in everyone, but she had realized that Smithy wasn't one of them. She was afraid. Of her own dimension. Of who she was told was her father. She felt safe with her siblings. She felt safe here.

* * *

><p>It was actually from Mrs. Castor that she got the tea and medicine that ended up saving her family. While flying towards the spot that Blade crashed down, she noticed a large, but slightly old wooden cottage that was for sale. She knew that coins were used as the currency in both Factory and the Mushroom Kingdom. She knew that Smithy, due to being the leader, had a lot of coins.<p>

When Bali was flying away to make the potion, she saw the fallen body of Smithy. But not as she knew him. Instead of the grandfatherly face she knew of, she saw his true face: sunken-in eyes and uneven teeth. He was an ugly lie. Just like the one he told them.

* * *

><p>Despite having plenty of coins to go by, it still felt risky to live without a backup plan. This forced Yaridovich, Exor, Boomer, and Bali to do something that they thought they would never have to in their life: get a job.<p>

Boomer had it easier than his older brother and younger sister. While taking a walk to get the idea of the town's layout in his head, he found a small dojo. In their, he met the master of the dojo, Jinx, with his highest ranked student and prodigy, Jagger. They trained in martial arts, but the dojo was lacking in weapon-based combat. Boomer suggested the idea that he could teach it. He was soon hired, and given a bamboo blade, to be the dojo's kendo trainer, and soon gained a few students to teach.

Yaridovich, Exor, and Bali had it tougher. They tried multiple interviews for jobs separately, but none seemed to work out in one way or the other. At their last hope, they managed to find a small, old, and burnt restaurant. The owner was an old Ninji, who explained that his last workers were Fryguys, who had burned the place in a rage due to a customer's unsatisfied review. Thankfully, the timely arrival of the three machines helped bring new life to the restaurant. After they helped the owner repair any damages, they got to work there, with Exor and Yaridovich as the chefs and Bali as the waitress. Even though the restaurant was small, simply having a good job was good enough for them.

* * *

><p>While the eldest four machines had to work, the youngest seven were enrolled into school. So far, they had been privately taught by any tutor that Smithy could convince to teach them, so a public school was a completely different environment to be in, especially due to the fact that they were separated due to ages.<p>

Mack was placed in an elementary school. Different species, both from the sides of the Mushroom Kingdom and Bowser's Domain, plus a few Beanish children, were in his new class. He didn't want to admit it, but he was actually a little nervous to be here, but also excited at the same time. He found some relief when he found out that his first friend ever, Shyster, was in his same class. Another thing that helped was that Pennie was another member of his class, and she was happy to meet a family member of someone that helped her. His teacher was a very nice Snifit, and managed to help Mack gain a great start in his school year.

Bowyer ended up in a middle school. He felt a little insecure about his feelings of being here, and felt like the others were judging him a little. However, he managed to make a name out of himself by simply joining a club. The school's Archery club was considered one of the lowest ranked in the kingdom, and was close to being shut down for good. However, one curious new student, one chance shot with a suction cup dart, and tons of support led their scores soaring and Bowyer's confidence as well.

Finally, the Axem Rangers were all in the kingdom's high school. Though they managed to get some classes together, they were purposely placed in some classes separately to try and get them to branch out from each other. This helped a lot, and let their creativity in different fields explode. Axem Pink ended up learning even more about medicine in Health class and was even able to teach a few new things to the class. Axem Green still found interest in organic animals, so he took a Biology class, which helped him get in contact with not only the species he saw in the sea, but other ones as well. Axem Black and Axem Red, stuck on a class, both tried out different sports. Though some of the students mocked Axem Red's height when he tried out basketball, they quickly shut up when he quickly stole the ball due to his size and simply had to throw the ball up to make it land in the basket. Axem Black had the same luck on the football field, where he dodged the other players and got a touchdown with his sunglasses not even slipping a single bit. Axem Yellow simply tried as many classes as he could until he could find a fun one, until it turned out that his Culinary Arts skills were nearly unmatched.

* * *

><p>A few nights after the former Smithy Gang moved into the Mushroom Kingdom, there was a huge thunderstorm. While they were still scared, they felt safer in their wooden house than they ever could in their metallic world.<p>

In this world, the rain just seemed a little less scary. And a little bit more amazing. It wasn't because the lightning wasn't attracted to wood. It wasn't because every single bit of the surface would risk rusting. It wasn't because the sky was even darker than the night normally was.

It was because they were together. As a family. And no lies, no fake promotions, and no wars could tear them apart.

THE END


End file.
